Method of pitting split-pit peaches

ABSTRACT

Peaches with structurally weak pits are twist pitted by orienting the suture plane of the peach normal to the bisecting and gripping blades. The plane in which the bisected flesh halves are twisted does not coincide with the suture plane of the pit, thereby avoiding split pits.

United States Patent Inventors Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee William B. Haver; [56] References Cited James L. Reimers, San Jose, Calif.

$ 3 1 2,585,073 2/1952 Altman Jan. 5,1971 2,826,227 3/1958 Perrelll et al.

FMC Corporation Primary Examiner-Andrew R. .luhasz San Jose, Calif. Assistant Examiner-Z. R. Bilinsky a corporation of Delaware Attorneys-F. W. Anderson and C. E. Tripp METHOD OF FITTING SPLIT-PIT PEACHES 2 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

146/28, 146/238 ABSTRACT: Peaches with structurally weak pits are twist Int. Cl A23n 3/08; pitted by orienting the suture plane of the peach normal to the A47j 23/00 bisecting and gripping blades. The plane in which the bisected Field of Search 146/237, flesh halves are twisted does not coincide with the suture 238, 28, 30 plane of the pit, thereby avoiding split pits.

45 1 1 58 55 i G6 .';4 III /ZO' B -56 PATENTEUJAN 51911 3.652.464

SHEET 1 UF 3 INVENTORS. WILLIAM B. HAVER JAMES L. REIMERS ATTORNEYS PATENT EUJAH 5:971

SHEET 2 OF 3 I NVENTORS. WILLIAM B. HAVER JAMES L. REIMERS FII3 lEl ATTORNE YS PATENTEB JAN 5J9?! 8552.464 sum 3 m 3 INVENTORS. WILLIAM B. HAVER JAMES L. REIMERS ATTORNEYS 1 METHOD or PI'If'I'ING SPLIT-PIT PEACHES. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l Field of the Invention Y The present invention relates to a method for stoning peaches or the like. It relates in particularto methods for removing stones from clingstone peaches in which the peach halves are twisted, freeing the flesh from the stone after cutting ofthe flesh.

2. Description of the Prior Art As evidenced by the PerrelliPats. 2,664,127; 2,775,279 methods presently employed in the twist'pitting of peaches bisect the peach flesh and twist the bisected halves inthe suture plane of the peach.

suMMARv or THE invention The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for effectively twist'pitting'peaches whose pits are soft or structurally weak,' without splitting the pits which prevents separation ofthe pit fromthe peaehflesh; I

twist the bisected peach halves .i'n thesuture' planeof the Referring to FIG. I, a peach A is inserted into the pitting apparatus by a loading mechanism (not shown). The peach bisecting and gripping mechanism includes a fixed lower blade 24 which has an upwardly directed cutting edge 26 that joins with a downwardly extending cutting edge 28. The downwardly directed cutting edge 28 faces the peach A to be inserted.

Above blade 24 and coplanar therewith, is a vertically movable upper blade 30. The lower edge of the blade 30 is formed with cutting edges 32 and 34 complementary to edges 26 and 28 of the lower blades 24. e

A rear blade 36 is formed-with a vertical, forwardly facing cutting edge 38 which is behind the rearward edges of the upper 30 and lower blades 24.

As shown in FIG. 2, blades 24 and 30 are complementarily formed with pit gripping edges 40 and 42. The pit gripping edges face each otherand are curved to'engage and confine the pit P on its midplane. Under the present invention the peach Ais positioned between the blades with its stem-blossom axis'44 (FIGS. 1,2 and 3) normal to the plane of the blades and its suture plane 46 horizontal.

The upper movable blade is carried by a vertical sliding post 48 (FIG. 1) for reciprocation toward and away from 'blade 24.The reciprocation of post 48 and consequently blade 30, is effected through a lever arm 50 that is horizontally pivoted at 5210 a stationary part of the apparatus. Pivot 52 is intermediate of the ends of lever arm 50. One end of the arm is peach. The resultant loads actingonthe suture line 'of'the pit cause it .to split, resulting in' failur'e to separate the flesh from either or bothof the ;pit' ihalves. Additional steps are then required to manually pitsuch peach' halves.

The method of the present invention prevents "splitting 1 'of the peach pits. This is accomplished "by orienting the suture plane of the peachand its .pit normal to the plane of the cutting and gripping blades and by twisting the peach halves in i f the plane of theblades. With this procedure the gripping-and twisting loads on the pit-do notact in the sutureplane where splitting occurs. In cases where the pit is already in a split condition,'the blades'hold the pit halves together and prevent the fact that split pit'condition may oecurinany where from l0 percent to percent of the peaehes'harvestedin a given year, and that the method of the present invention is applicable to existingapparatus without major modification of that apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a diagrammatic side view of the apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a partial side view showing the blades .in the closed t position.

FIG. 3 is a section of taken on line 3-3.' I .FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are partial' front views diagrammatically illustrating the orientation and successive steps in the present method of pitting a peach.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 illustrating an alternate orientation of the peach and pit. I

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 6 showing another alternate orientation. i Y

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT bifurcated and slotted at-54 to receive pin 56 on collar 58 that is slidable on post 48, and the other end carries a cam follower '60. tha t engages the periphery of cam 62 on shaft 64. The upper-spring 66 on post 48 reacts between-collar 58 and collar '68 that in turn is secured to post 48 to yield if the pit is unusually large and engages the blade 30. The lower spring 70 around post 48 functions to yieldably hold the upper blade 30 elevated and to hold the cam follower 60 in engagement with cam 62.

edges 26 and 32 is slightly greater'than the maximum pit height H of the fruit to be pitted as seen in FIG. I.

OPERATION As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the blades are opened and the peach A is impaled on cutting blades 24 and 30 whose cutting edges 26 and 32 bisect the top and bottom sections of the fruit. The rear section of the fruit is bisected by edge 38 as the fruit is inserted, until the pit engages said edge. The guillotine .blade 30 is then lowered, and its downward stroke completes the bisection of the forward portion of thepeach while gripping the pit (FIG. 2).

Thepit is gripped by opposing blade sections 40 and 42 such that if the pit? is structurally weak along its suture plane or has not remained joined, the pit halves are held and clamped together. i Y

Upon bisection of the peach flesh, FIGS. 3 and 4, the twisting heads 22 move inward in a horizontal plane, normal to the plane of the blades 24 and 30, engaging the peach halves on either side of the blades. The twisting heads 22 are then simultaneously rotated in opposite directions, as shown in FIG. 5, separating the flesh from the pit. The shearing forces on the pit resulting from the twisting so not coincide with the suture plane of the pit and therefore will not cause pit splitting in the twisting plane. Thus separation of the peach flesh from the pit is insured.

After completion of the twisting operation the twisting heads 22 release the separated peach halves and are withdrawn; the peach halves dropping away from the pit P as shown in FIG. 6. The cycle is completed as the guillotine blade 30 is raised, releasing the pit P.

MODIFIED ORIENTATIONS As shown in FIG. 7, the peach may alsobe oriented with the stem-blossom axis 44 normal to the plane of the blades (as before) with the suture plane 46 of the fruit and pit normal to the plane of the blades but disposed in the vertical (instead of the horizontal) plane. As before the gripping surfaces do not split the pits, rather they hold and clamp the pit halves together.

FIG. 8 shows still another orientation. Here the suture plane 46 of the peach is horizontal (as before) and hence is normal to the plane of the blades. In this orientation the stem-blossom axis 44 is normal to the direction of motion of the blades and is in the plane of the blades. Again, the gripping action of the blades clamps and hold the pit halves together, instead of tending to split them as in prior devices of this type.

Although the best method for carrying out the invention has been shown and described herein it will be apparent that the method is applicable to other types of twist pitting apparatus and that variation may be made without departing from what is regarded to be the subject matter of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A method of pitting peaches or the like comprising the steps ofinserting the fruit between cutting and gripping blades with the suture plane oi the fruit substantially normal to plane of the blades, closing the blades to bisect the llesh ol the fruit, gripping the pit of the fruit between the blades. said gripping action clamping and holding the pit or any split pit halves together, twisting the bisected fruit halves about an axis normal to the plane of the blades until the flesh is separated from the pit, releasing the separated fruit halves, and separately releasing the pit.

2. The method ofclaim 1. wherein the stem-blossom axis til the fruit is normal to the plane olthe blades. 

1. A method of pitting peaches or the like comprising the steps of inserting the fruit between cutting and gripping blades with the suture plane of the fruit substantially normal to plane of the blades, closing the blades to bisect the flesh of the fruit, gripping the pit of the fruit between the blades, said gripping action clamping and holding the pit or any split pit halves together, twisting the bisected fruit halves about an axis normal to the plane of the blades until the flesh is separated from the pit, releasing the separated fruit halves, and separately releasing the pit.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the stem-blossom axis of the fruit is normal to the plane of the blades. 